The Oath of a Partnership
by OuroborosSnyder
Summary: This is post "Untethered," but NOT an "Untethered" fic. I'm trying something different. This is more Eames Angst than Goren. As always, more info inside. BA. Now COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **The Oath of a Partnership

**Show:** L&O: CI

**Pairing:** BA

**Disclaimer:** Sadly enough, I don't own anything. This is written for pure enjoyment only and no profit to be gained!

**Rating:** T for references of abuse as well as language.

**Spoilers:** Slight mentions of "Untethered" in the beginning but that's it. ALL post "Untethered." Oh, and also a quick _thought_ about "Blind Spot."

**Authors Note: **I started writing this right as I started my "Downfall and Release" fic. I put it off for months, but now here it is.  
This story has _**nothing**_ to do with "Untethered." Surprising, right? LOL It's only mentioned a few times in the beginning and maybe once or twice more throughout. The timeline is about month or two post "Untethered." I guess it really doesn't matter too much. You decided. Just note that no other episodes have occurred and I kind of just assume that he came back without going undercover. I'd say it's probably AU (smiles). But guess what? For once there's not really any Goren angst, More Eames than anything. LOL I just like using the genre (and Hurt/Comfort).

**Length: **This story should be around 10,000 words. So not too long.

**Note: **_No BETA used throughout the story._

**CHAPTER 1:**

* * *

"_Friendship is essentially a __partnership__."_

_-Aristotle._

* * *

Though it had been a month or so since Bobby's return to work, he still had Tates in the back of his mind. Slowly, however, it was starting to die down. He was well aware of the fact that _those _memories of the place would never leave him, they would always be apart of him, but he had accepted that. There was no way to forget about the occurrences that went on inside of Tates, nor could he forget the thoughts he had running through his mind at the time. It was a change that occurred in him, though he knew he had to do it, it had woken up demons within him. There was nothing wrong with Bobby though. He knew himself to be sane no matter what everyone else thought of him. It was just that that place had challenged him to the depths of his sanity. It had pushed him to the end and at one point, he thought he'd never come back from it all, but he did.

It surprised everyone.

Bobby had the whole weekend to himself to relax. Alex and him cleared their last case and were granted the weekend off without being on call. He didn't really do anything interesting Friday night, but allowed himself time to clear his mind. He granted himself the ability to quietly ease back into society; as much as he allowed himself to. He went out for a beer on the way home from work, of course by himself, and then went home to unwind. Saturday was one of his favorite days. Lewis had called him up and asked him if he wanted to help work on an old Chevy Camaro with him. Surprisingly enough he eagerly agreed and drove over to Lewis' garage. They shared some laughs, worked on the 1969 Camaro, ate pizza and drank a few beers. On Sunday Bobby was tired and decided to stay home and watch a few movies. He read along the way, but all in all it was pretty uneventful, and yet, he welcomed it. He smiled at himself as he went to bed Sunday night.

_Not once did I allow myself to wallow in self-pity. I know I have problems, I know I have concerns that I need to deal with, but all that is put aside for now._

The enjoyable weekend Bobby had was not the case when it came to Alex's weekend.

It was a groggy Monday morning when Alex Eames walked off the elevator of One Police Plaza. She was tired and sore from things she promised herself she'd never mention or think of again. Her mind was getting the best of her however, as she thought about the past weekend.

_Dammit, Alex, he was drunk. Hell, I was drunk… _She rationalized. _But that's still no excuse. He told you he was sorry…that he didn't mean to do it…at least that's what I keep telling myself…and my battered body._

Her glanced was casted down to the floor as she continued to muse. In all honestly, she was ashamed. Ashamed of herself and the lack of control she had over the unforgettable situation that occurred this weekend. She was definitely a different woman than the normal Alex Eames who usually strolled into 1PP every day. She felt weak, though she would never speak of the reason, and lacked her normal confidence. Something was missing in her stride but that all changed when she saw him.

_Bobby._

Her head perked up a bit as she entered the bullpen and when her eyes immediately spotted Bobby sitting at his desk, looking over some paperwork and sipping coffee, she sighed. Her body unconsciously relaxed as she took in his tranquil form.

She felt safe.

_God, it's good to see him. I definitely have to keep this from him. What's the big deal anyway? So I was roughed up a bit. _And then she immediately became angry with herself._ I'm a cop! That's the big deal. I should be able to defend myself! I never should have allowed myself to get so drunk._

Her body tightly clenched at the thought and every muscle in her body began to protest until a voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Eames?" Bobby said for the second time. He noticed almost immediately that something was wrong.

"Huh? Oh, hey, Bobby."

"Long weekend?" He eyed her suspiciously, noting how tensed she looked.

_You have no idea._

"Um, yeah." She said as she sat down at her desk, only to wince in pain. She had hoped Bobby didn't catch her discomfort, but he did. Bobby always caught these sort of things, especially when it came to people he cared about the most. Alex was on the top of that list.

"Eames, are you alright?" Bobby asked concerned, setting a file down.

"Oh yeah, just too much time at the gym this weekend." She lied.

_Oh yeah, that's it. Just lie to your partner, the one man you truly trust. Like he isn't going to notice that something's wrong. You know him, Alex, he always gets his answers in the end. Why can't you just trust him and confide in him?_

Bobby kept his eyes on her but didn't question her the rest of the day. Alex knew he was looking at her differently than most days. She could feel his stare, his glance casting towards her direction every now and then and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. Not unless she told him. It was driving her insane; not because he was looking at her but because she lied to him. She wanted to scream, though she wasn't sure if it was directed at him or herself.

_Of all people to lie to…_

And somehow she knew, one way or another, he'd find out. The only thing she could hold onto was hope that he wouldn't and that's all she had right now: hope.

Every time their eyes met, she'd faked a half ass smile and then turn away from him knowing that she'd have to face him everyday with a lie on her chest.

_He has to ask soon. Knowing Bobby, he will. He'll find out. God, I'm such a drama queen. He doesn't need anymore shit in his life right now._

The day in itself was slow. It was one of those days where they had time to catch up on paperwork, which both of them hated doing. Bobby finished his relatively early, and decided to read a book on the human mind, while Alex had problems of her own.

_God, I'm being such a baby. It's only a few cuts and bruises. I can handle this myself. I don't need anyone to look after me!_

But Alex was only kidding herself. She had mixed anxiety. Her emotions were telling her two different things. She wanted to keep it a secret. She wanted to lock the entire weekend up in a bottle, tie an anchor to it, and throw it in the Hudson River. She never wanted to _see_ it ever again. She longed to forget it had ever happened but she also knew that she yearned for someone to be close.

_Oh god._

She knew who she wanted. She couldn't stop herself at that moment from glancing across her desk and over to where her partner sat. She knew before, but she wouldn't allow herself to ask. Alex wanted, no, she needed Bobby by her side. The thing that scared her was she wasn't even sure why.

_He's a mess. I can't need nor want a mess. The man's an emotion wreck right now. I can't need him…can I?_

And then Alex sat back in her chair further as she realized the feeling she was having. It was the same feeling she had after she was released from the hospital after Jo kidnapped her.

Alex was in pain, not just physically but mentally as well. She continued to sit at her desk, ignoring the looks Bobby was giving her every now and then, and thought back to her now ex boyfriend. Bobby could've taken off all of his clothes, got on his desk and started dancing and she would've never known.

_God, what should I do?_

Looking back to the weekend, Alex recalled how excited she was. She was looking forward to the night and had been for the entire week. She recalled back to the bar where she had first met him about a month ago. They had met up every weekend since then when she wasn't working. They had hit it off well from the beginning; it helped that he didn't run the first chance he got when she told him that she was a detective with the NYPD.

So, once again, they went out. It started out fine; great conversation and all. After becoming plastered, however, they made their way back to his apartment and that's where it all begun.

_He started to get rough with me. I should've known then. Hell, I should've known he was like that before it ever got that far. Some Detective I am._

At first, when they were rough as they staggered into his apartment, Alex didn't mind too much. They were both stumbling, drunk as hell, so she didn't think twice about it. He quickly stripped her of her shirt and that's when he seemed to get possessive. Not possessive as in an, "I love you and you're all mine" sort of charm, but a scary, new dark side of the word 'possessive.' He had that unhealthy want in his eyes that told her that she _would _obey him or else. He hovered over her like he was hers and nobody else's.

By this time, Alex started to ask herself what the hell she was doing. It was like she had finally come out of her drunken stupor. She could remember that much. She knew that she didn't feel like herself. She wasn't the type to go out to the bar, get drunk, and then go to a man's house, which she hardly knew, and fuck him. It had been a month since their first date, but they still hardly knew each other. Her mind had finally caught up to the moment and she started to resist, making up some lame excuse about how she couldn't do it. How they hardly knew each other. How it was wrong.

And that's when he first hit her. She had been half punched, half slapped in the side. She wasn't really sure what to call it because it was rather weak due to how intoxicated he was. There after, she was slammed into numerous things and slapped a few more times. He started to swear at her, calling her a bitch and a whore amongst other things.

_You little bitch!_

She would never forget that phrase. It wasn't the word, _bitch _that made her shudder, but the way he used it. It was the way he called to her and degraded her. She felt like she had been manhandled by a pimp. She was frightened but was also as drunk as he was, so her mind wasn't working as much as she'd have liked it to have been. Her motor functions weren't any better. Somehow though, she managed to scream at him and defend herself somewhat by kneeing him in the groin after the initial blow. He immediately pushed her and she fell into what she recalled being a table of some sort. She doesn't really know, she doesn't want to remember. She does remember, however, gathering her shirt while he continued to yell at her. She also recalls her thoughts at the time. She was scared and at that moment, all of her police and self-defense training were thrown out the window. Situations are _always _different when you're belligerently drunk.

After being pushed up against the wall one last time, she managed to run out of _his _apartment. She quickly hailed a cab, though she can't remember the few minutes in between getting out of his apartment and into the cab, and went back home where she sat and cried in pain the rest of the weekend. She thought she might have been drugged, but she wasn't sure. She was unable to fight back and it was a feeling she never wanted to feel again.

_Helplessness._

She'd truly thought about calling Bobby, but she knew that if she had told him, he'd hunt the guy down and kill him. Bobby was protective of her, though he tried not to show it unless absolutely necessary. He never tried to hide it either. She'd never told Bobby about her "newest" boyfriend, though they hadn't been together that long, and thought that he may think less of her if she'd have told him what happened.

_But I know he wouldn't. He wouldn't judge me. Not, Bobby. _She struggled with her emotions. _God, why did I have to get so immensely drunk? What a lush!_

As the day neared the end, she got a call at the office from someone she wished she wouldn't have. He had called three or four times on her cell phone throughout the day, but she had set it on silent, anticipating his calls, and had successfully ignored him until now. Truthfully, she didn't know much about him, but in her mind, it was over. There was no way in hell she'd stay with a man that was abusive; even if he were drunk. It was still no excuse and she feared what he might be capable of. She had no proof that she actually _was _drugged, but the side effects she had that night were definitely not from the alcohol alone.

"Eames." She answered casually. Her eyes immediately widened when she heard the voice on the other end of the phone.

Alex hesitated for only a second before she dipped her head down towards her lap so that no one could come into view of the shocked look she had written all over her face. Her long, blond hair covered most of her face and for that she was thankful. She didn't want Bobby or anyone else to see the tears that started to form. She wanted to cover up the sorrow as well as the anger she was feeling.

_How the hell did he get my work number? Duh, not hard to figure out Major Case Squads number. Way to tell him your occupation._

"What do you want?" She lowered her tone, but not enough so that Bobby couldn't over hear her.

"What? No." She calmly stated, though she wanted to yell at the man.

He was on the other line, talking to her on his cell phone from the parking garage at 1PP.

_How the hell did he managed to get in the parking garage? _She quickly mused and shook at the thought of him coming to her work. The shudder didn't go unnoticed by Bobby.

The guy wanted Alex to come down and talk to him, but she was afraid. She knew she shouldn't, but she had to. For so many reasons she _had _to. She was going to tell him to get lost one last time and it would be better if told in person. It would be kept quiet instead of a ranting phone call inside the bullpen.

"Fine. I'll be right down." She finally stated and slammed the phone down.

_Please don't make this one of the things I'll regret for the rest of my life._

* * *

**A/N: So, what do you guys think so far? So, a few notes. First off, if there's a better place than the Hudson River, please tell me and I'll gladly change it. Never been to NY. LOL Also, just a warning now, I'm not sure when I'll be able to update next. This is only going to be about 4 chapters or so, but I've been so busy and stressed with school lately, that I'm going to have to shoot for an update once a week...that is if you guys want me to continue this. If it's boring, I'll stop now. LOL**

**Anyway, you guys know what to do.**

**-Snyder-**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Sadly enough, I don't own anything. This is written for pure enjoyment only and no profit to be gained!

**A/N:** Um, not to give this away or anything but when you're reading this, think of the anger Bobby had inside of him when he punched that guy in Tates…then multiply that by like 100. Thanks.

**CHAPTER 2:**

_Please don't make this one of the things I'll regret for the rest of my life._

"Everything ok?" Bobby asked concerned. He never took his eyes off of her.

She nodded. "Yeah, I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" It was more of a statement rather than a question.

_I will see him tomorrow, right? …I hope._

Alex grabbed her jacket off the coat rack behind her desk and started to put it on. When she reached one arm through it, her shirt had risen up several inches on her side, temporarily exposing her skin to Bobby. He was looking at her the entire time and got a clear view of part of the destruction on her body. His first reaction was his jaw going slack…but then he felt his hands clinch tightly into fists. He suddenly became very angry.

_Too much time at the gym my ass! _

Bobby knew something had happened, though he wasn't sure what. He felt himself getting more upset by the minute. He wanted to ask her, he wanted to scream at her, he wanted to hug her and make sure she was alright, but he knew this wasn't the time nor the place. He knew what he had to do though: He had to follow her.

_Did she have an accident she didn't wish to speak of? Was she…hit? No, no, Alex wouldn't allow that to happen to her…would she? _His thoughts were racing and then he felt himself shaking his head. _No, no, no. No one allows anything like that to happen to them. If it does happen, it's not by choice._

"Alex, are you—" Bobby tried to ask her again as he stood up. He made his way towards her in one swift motion and was about to continue when he was cut off by an irritated Alex.

"I told you, Bobby, I'm fine!" She stated a tad bit too loud for everyone's liking. All eyes in the squad room were on her now; Bobby's eyes wider than most. "Look, I'll see you tomorrow." She stated through clenched teeth and then made her way towards the elevator.

Alex was oblivious to the fact that she had exposed some of her bruises to Bobby. Bobby on the other hand was too disordered to say anything. The gears in that big brain of his were going a million miles per hour. By the time he looked back towards her direction, she was already gone.

_I have to follow her, no matter how much she'll hate me for doing it, I have to._

Bobby didn't follow her right away, though he quickly packed up his things. Once his items and leather binder were packed, he made his way into the elevator after knowing that she would already be headed down towards her car.

On the way down in the elevator his mind went into overdrive. He had to know what was going on; not for his curiosity, but for her own safety. He didn't like the looks of it from what he'd just seen. He'd only seen the marks for a few quick seconds, but he knew they were bruises. He had to confront her.

_If it was just a car accident, she would've told me._

When he made his way around the corner to where he knew her car to be parked, he stopped dead in his tracks. There she was, talking to another man. Bobby had no idea who the man was and frowned because of it. He didn't know she was dating anyone, and still didn't know if it was her boyfriend, but the way his body was close to hers, by the way his hands gripped hers possessively, he knew he was.

_Or possibly an ex? _

He didn't mind though, nor was he jealous; at least that's what he kept telling himself. As long as she was happy, then it was _ok_ with him. Alex didn't look happy though and it made his muscles tighten up and his face redden with rage.

Bobby wasn't sure of anything, so he stood back and observed them. He didn't feel it was his place to intervene…yet. He felt guilty for _spying _on her, but he was more alarmed by the altercation. He wanted to go up to them and ask them what the hell was going on, but he knew he couldn't just march towards them both, beat the man up and call it a day; though he knew he would probably feel better.

_No, she wasn't roughed up. Not Eames. She must've been in some kind of accident. _He rationalized._ She couldn't, wouldn't keep something like that from me…nor would she talk to a man that tried to hurt her either. Especially not alone…would she?_

His fist physically unclenched somewhat until her voice was heard. She was yelling at him now and Bobby strained his ears to hear the conversation.

_Easy Goren, it could just be a lover's quarrel._

"Fuck you!" Alex hollered at the unknown man. "I don't care if we were drunk or not! Leave me the hell alone!"

_No, definitely not a lover's quarrel._

"Fuck me? I know you want to fuck me." He stated and then leaned in to try and kiss her only to be slapped by Alex. "You bitch!" He yelled and forced her up against her car. He pressed his body tightly against hers and spoke, "You know you want me. You seemed all over me this—" And that's all he was able to get out.

When Bobby heard the altercation between the two, he knew it was his cue to cut in. He didn't even think, just acted; acted on pure instincts. He didn't know what had been going on, but he wasn't going to let anyone touch her like that. When he saw Alex get slammed up against her car, it only enraged him more. It was definitely unwanted contact and he knew he couldn't just stand by and watch it unfold in front of him any longer.

_You fucking bastard._

Bobby seemed to come out of nowhere. One second, Alex was pinned up against her car and about ready to knee him in the groin and take the son of a bitch down, and then the next thing she knew she was free and watching her partner wrestle with the man.

_What the hell? _And then, _oh god._

"Who the fuck are you?" The man screamed right as Bobby threw him into the car next to them.

Bobby didn't answer him and this only seemed to enrage the man more. The man pushed off the car and launched himself at Bobby. The guy desperately scrambled and swung at Bobby. He managed to get a few punches in, one being to Bobby's jaw, the rest being in the direction of his gut until Bobby somehow managed to head butt him and knock the guy back onto the car with a grunt.

He was a big man surprisingly enough. Not anything like Bobby would've expected Alex to date. He was maybe an inch shorter than Bobby, but very fit nonetheless and was definitely holding his own with Bobby.

The unnamed man continued to fight Bobby, pushing off the car yet again and running full force, with his head down into Bobby. They both hurled backwards and landed hard on the ground. An "oomph" came from Bobby's mouth as he fell, taking most of the force on his back as the other man landed on top of him. The guy tried to get up but Bobby quickly reached for him and held him in a choke hold until the guy elbowed him in the ribs a few times.

Bobby gasped in pain, but ignored it. Both men scrambled up off the ground and continued to go at it. Neither one of them were aware of the terror-stricken look Alex had on her face. Bobby gained some control soon after and managed to punch the guy hard a few times in return with his left, while holding him with his right, but the guy didn't show any signs of giving up soon.

"Oh, so you like to beat up men _and _women?" Bobby ferociously screamed, finally speaking for the first time.

When he shouted, Alex could see that rage that was shown deep within the depths of his eyes. He was fucking pissed. He wanted to beat the guy senseless and the look he had scared Alex. She had never seen him like this, not even during an interrogation. He looked powerful, and very intense; as if he was ready to break the guy's neck any second. She knew she'd never forget that look. She wasn't scared of him though. Somehow, even with everything unfolding right in front of her, she felt her heart skip a beat knowing how far he'd go to protect her.

It had already gotten to Bobby. It was eating him alive at that very moment. It had hit him so hard that he became more upset then he thought possible. Normally, he would just pull out his weapon and aim it on the suspect until they gave up, but Bobby didn't want any part of that. He wanted to give the man what he had coming to him.

_No one fucking touches her!_

He was so caught up with this man that he never heard the loud gasp that came from Alex after his statement about hitting men _and _woman; and by women, Alex knew he meant her. She knew he knew, she just wasn't sure how. This man was the cause of Alex's injuries and he knew it and it scared her that he knew. Bobby didn't doubt it for a minute now and that thought only fueled the fire in his eyes

_Oh my god, he knows._

Before the man could answer him, Bobby grabbed him by the throat and slammed him up against the car and held him there. Hard. The man tried to get out of it, flailing his arms in every direction, hitting Bobby in the side and face a few more times, but this didn't seem to faze Bobby. Not anymore. He took the blows as they came. Bobby used his large, bulky body to pin the man against the car, never loosening his grip on the man's throat until he flipped the guy over onto his stomach and dropped him flat on the ground; imprinting his knee with all of his weight into the guys back. Something inside Bobby had sparked a fire and right then and there he knew that he could possibly kill the man for touching Alex.

_No one touches her like that you son of a bitch! _He kept repeating to himself over and over again. _No one!_

"Bobby…" Alex cried out softly after she got over the shellshock. She couldn't trust her own voice. She felt as if she was in a movie…and the only thing she could say was his name. She continued to look down at her ex and Bobby on the ground as it all unraveled in front of her. Everything seemed surreal. She blinked to be sure that it was real.

It was.

It seemed like a haze this entire time until she saw Bobby kneeling on her ex-boyfriend; if she dared to call him that. Bobby didn't hear her, but the other man did and his eyes widened in response.

"You're Bobby?" The man hollered and turned his head to look at him. "You're the son of a bitch? You're the fucked up partner of hers?!" He screamed. "The whack job?" He roared.

"Shut the fuck up!" Bobby snarled and slammed the man's head back down onto the pavement. He knew he was a son of a bitch, he knew he was fucked up, but when he called him a whack job, his instincts were to defend himself. He was so sick of hearing _that _one.

_The NYPD's whack job._

"Oh yeah." The man evilly laughed. He knew he could get to Bobby this way. He had heard of him before and the temper he had. "Alex mentioned you. How insane you are." Bobby only slammed his head down harder onto the pavement. This time he thought for sure he'd broken the guy's nose when he heard him cry out in pain. Alex winced and turned away briefly. It wasn't because of the new injury, but at the words he was spitting back at Bobby. "The crazy partner she's stuck with." He egged Bobby on which only pissed him off more and Alex could tell. She knew what he was trying to do.

_I have to stop this. Now._

"Bobby, let him go…" She mustered up the words just as Bobby was about to pull out his handcuffs.

"What?" He asked in disbelief after finally registering Alex's voice. He turned towards her and looked at her as though she had two heads. "Let him go?"

Alex couldn't help but wince at the sight of his face. He looked at her, deep into her eyes and was about to protest but something inside him told him not to. His grip on the man loosened and he got to his feet once more, standing possessively in front of Alex as the man struggled to his feet.

Alex went around Bobby, though she was no fool; she knew what he was doing. As the man turned to face them, wiping off the blood that started to drip out of his nose, she looked at him and shouted, "Don't you ever come near me again, or next time I'll press charges against you, you fucking psycho!" She said and walked backed behind Bobby.

The man started to speak only to be staring directly into Bobby's face. Bobby had stepped forward, right up against the man and looked at him. They both looked like hell, but Bobby stood the taller man. He was not one to be reckoned with. Ever.

"Did you _not_ hear the lady?" Bobby asked. "Get out of here. Now!"

_Before I kill you._

The man looked from Bobby to Alex and then back at Bobby once more before saying, "Fine, you can have the little whore."

Alex immediately reached out to grab onto Bobby's wrist to keep him from hitting him any further. It wasn't worth it. Bobby sighed and turned around to look at Alex once he saw the man turn and walk off. He was about to say something to Alex when she started to scream.

Bobby's eyes widened in horror and his face scrunched for a second in confusion until he heard her scream, "Bobby, look out!"

Bobby swung back around just in time to see the man heading straight towards them with a knife in hand. Thanks to Bobby's catlike reflexes, he was able to turn just in time to see it and stop it from doing more damage than it could. The butterfly knife dug into Bobby's left side, slicing into it like a hot knife slicing into butter.

Bobby immediately groaned as the knife briefly dug and then slashed into him but only momentarily until Bobby reacted like a man that were on acid; he was feeling no pain.

Blood was trickling from Bobby's side, but he didn't care. He went after the man and stunned the hell out of him. The man thought for sure he had him and even began to produce a small smile of victory until Bobby came back at him and hit him so hard that he fell onto his back. If the guy's nose wasn't broken before, it was now. The knife fell to the ground, completely forgotten and once again, Bobby had resumed his position over the man. This time, however, Bobby's knee was just below the guy's throat.

Bobby gazed down at the man and then swung. He couldn't help it, he couldn't stop himself. He just let loose, unable to control his anger.

* * *

_"Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it." _

_–Seneca_

* * *

After recalling back, Bobby vaguely remembered hearing Alex in the background calling for backup. Apparently it wasn't needed though because it was all caught on the security camera. Then, what seemed like years was only about a minute when a few officers came running over and literally picked Bobby up off the battered man. Alex didn't even bother. She knew it would do no good.

Bobby watched as the man was handcuffed and soon after put into a police car. He recalled later watching Alex talk to a few of the officers as he staggered backwards a little bit and then rested up against one of the police cars. He placed his hand briefly on the knife wound and pulled it away to see blood. He groaned and let his hands dangle back down at his sides.

Bobby hadn't said anything yet. He wasn't sure what to say. He felt numb and was too tired, too sore, too hurt, too upset, too angry and so many other emotions to speak. His emotions were what were currently driving his actions at the moment.

He saw the officers put the man in the squad car and they were about to drive away when he spoke up.

"Hold on!" Bobby shouted and ruggedly stormed over towards the car. He hurt. It was obvious. "I want to talk to him."

"I don't think that's such a great idea—" One of the younger, rookie officers started to say until he was cut off.

"Get the hell out of my way." Bobby wildly roared. The young officer didn't have to be told twice and quickly scurried aside.

Bobby opened the back door of the squad car and looked at the man.

_If looks could kill_…

In this time, every officer around was completely still. Everyone was watching him like a hawk; Alex in particular. She didn't want him to do anything stupid that would for sure ruin his career. She was about to go over to Bobby when he leaned in towards the man's ear and whispered something to him. Alex halted mid step and watched them both; Bobby in particular. No one could hear what was said but the facial expression on the man didn't go passed Alex. He looked nervous and cowered away from Bobby.

Bobby stood up straight a few moments later, slammed the door of the police and stood back. A few minutes later the police car left. By this time, there were a few paramedics that were trying to get Bobby to sit still so they could get a better look at him, but he kept shrugging them off. The statements, "I'm fine" and "leave me alone" were repeated several times.

Bobby sighed heavily and leaned up against the back of Alex's car. He didn't turn to look at her right away. He wanted to mentally calm himself first and that's when he heard her faint voice.

"Bobby…" She trembled as she said his name. She tried as hard as she could not to cry, but when she blinked, a few tears betrayed her.

This made Bobby quickly turn towards her. His brain registered the quick movement and the pain that came with it, but he ignored it.

"Eames, I…It'll be ok." And he went to hug her, to hold her and to comfort her, but she took a small step back and held her hands up in protest. She couldn't make eye contact with him yet.

"I…I'm sorry—" He stuttered. He knew he was headed towards unchartered territory. They had never hugged before so he figured that was the reason why she pulled back.

_God, she's probably so angry with me_…

Alex finally looked up into his eyes after he apologized. Her facial expressions scrunched as she tried to figure out why he was apologizing. Her questioning look fell, however, when she saw how much blood was on his face. Slowly, after taking a deep breath, she reached up towards his lip and wiped the blood away where he had been punched numerous times. There were several cuts on his face, but the gesture didn't go unheard.

"It's ok…it's just—" She bit her lip for a second. She needed to reassure him. "I'm…sore." She whispered the last word so quietly that he had to lean in to hear her. That's when her gaze shifted towards their feet.

_She's not mad at me?_

He understood now. He was a large man, he wouldn't deny that, and if he hugged her, he'd more than likely hurt her. It was the last thing he wanted to do.

Bobby leaned towards her again but didn't reach to hug her. Instead, he pushed her coat aside with the back of his hand, grabbed onto the hem of her shirt, and lifted it up partially. She didn't resist. She couldn't. She was frozen in place as she chanced a glance at Bobby's eyes. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to see his reaction.

His eyes widened. It didn't surprise her. What he had thought originally was confirmed, only it looked worse than he had first gathered. His long fingers started to strain over the bruising when she pulled back from him. He let her pull away as her shirt fell back down.

"Bobby, I—" She swallowed hard and whispered, "How did you know?"

"I…" He licked his lips and tasted his own blood. "I saw the bruising when you put your coat on to leave. I—I decided to follow you down…" He looked over her again. "I'm…sorry." He mumbled and shifted his weight onto his other leg, only to wince in pain. This time he couldn't hide it.

_Fuck._

Reality kicked in and she shifted her glance down towards his still bleeding knife wound. It was deep, but not too deep. It looked nasty and would probably need stitches. It was about a 5-inch gash with a deep cut in the beginning where the knife started to dig in.

_Oh god, look at him. He needs to get medical attention._

"Bobby, you need to get that looked at." She tried to steady her voice and nodded towards his wound. She all of a sudden forgot about her problems and focused on the man in front of her; the one that came to protect her.

"I'm fine." He whispered and looked back down at her with a passion she wasn't sure of. He had a deep look of concern on his face. It was a look he'd only shown her one other time.

"Just don't—" She told him. And for some reason, Bobby was angry. Or possibly hurt. He wasn't sure which emotion he was feeling or which emotion he _should _feel. He looked stricken at her words, as if he'd just been slapped in the face.

"Don't?" He asked. He went to rub his face with his large hands but winced when he felt the numerous cuts on his face. He pulled his hands back to look at them only to find that they were spotted with blood. He looked back up at her and continued. "Don't what, Eames?" He raised his voice a little. "Don't touch you? Don't try and help you? Don't pity you? Don't what, Alex?" He used her first name this time and she hated him for it.

He spat out the words so coldly that he couldn't even believe himself. He stood there and waited for her response, but it never came. He wanted to say more to her, but he couldn't and wouldn't. Not right now. He turned away from her and went over to where he was previously hiding and grabbed his leather binder and coat he'd dropped when he heard the altercation between them. He stiffly bent down to get his items and gasped because of the intense pain he felt. When Bobby stood back up he glanced at Alex one last time and then turned and walked towards his own car. Before he left, however, he made sure that one of the officers escorted her home.

Bobby felt cold for walking away from her, but he had to. He was enraged, though not at Alex per se, and didn't want to take it out on her. He needed to gather his thoughts and calm himself down. He felt a little better knowing that that guy was at least off the streets and away from her. He walked in shame with his head down as he past all the officers.

_Great, now they're really going to think I'm a whack job. Look at them, they're all afraid of me. _He sighed and then cringed because of the pain.

The drive home was hell for Bobby. He felt shameful. He let his rage overtake him, overpower him.

_I let her down…_ He kept repeating to himself. _I let her down…again. She didn't need my help. She looked horrified that I helped her, and now she probably thinks that I think she's weak and vulnerable. She probably thinks I don't think she can take care of herself. But it's not true, she is such a strong woman, I just care about her…I just… _And his thoughts drifted off as he pulled into a parking space in front of his apartment.

* * *

_"Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame." _

_– Benjamin Franklin_

* * *

**A/N****: You guys still liking this? LOL You like the kung fu Goren? LMAO. Personally I see him more as a lover rather than a fighter, but I've _always_ wanted to do a scene like that and I thought this story worked for it. I saw his rage in Tates when he punched that guy a few times. I can't even begin to imagine how pissed he'd be if this really occurred. That's why I like fanfic, I can write it how I see it going down.**

**Not to damsel in distress, right? Sorry if that's how you portray it. I just like a Bobby that comes to the rescue. LOL Ya all know he has rage inside of him, especially in the past season. Anyway, back to my homework. It's still not done but I figured I'd post a chapter first before I get to work on it (Looks at cifan). LOL**

**-Snyder-**

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Sadly enough, I don't own anything. This is written for pure enjoyment only and no profit to be gained!

**CHAPTER 3:**

* * *

_"A friend is someone, who upon seeing another friend in immense pain, would rather be the one experiencing the pain than to have to watch their friend suffer."_

_- Amanda Grier_

* * *

When Bobby got home, he went straight into his bedroom to change. The man, whoever the hell he was had gotten him good several times. Of course Bobby was well aware of the fact that he did more damage to him. He grinned at the thought, but it soon faded when he remembered what he did to Alex.

_Bastard. I swear if I see him near her again... _He mused and then smiled_. I think he got my message loud and clear. No one should ever touch a woman like that, especially Eames. _

"Alex..." He whispered out loud if only to hear her _real _name roll off his lips. It came out so easily.

_Ugh, I have to stop thinking about her._

Bobby groaned when he went to undo his tie and grimaced when he pull away his button up shirt. It was sticky from his blood but it was the movement that caused most of the pain. It flared up even more when he reached up to remove his t-shirt that was underneath.

"Oh, fuck..." He flinched and cursed outward due to the pain.

_Oh yeah, I'm sleeping with ice packs tonight._

The knife wound, along with his many other injuries were still bleeding but he didn't seem to care at the moment.

_Screw it all to hell._

Bobby realized soon after he left the 1PP parking garage that he'd end up thinking about Alex for the rest of the night, so he decided to take an Ambien to help him fall asleep. After popping the little round, light blue pill, he looked back down at his body and cringed. Softly he traced his long fingers over some of the bruising that was already forming around his ribs. He sighed and stiffly reached over to his nightstand. Mutely he tapped the orange bottle until a single Percocet fell into the palm of his hand. He'd gotten the pills from the last time he was in the hospital, after Tates. He never needed them until now.

Bobby knew he wouldn't be able to sleep through the excruciating pain that seemed to surge through his entire body with only a single movement. He never liked taking any form of medication, but he knew he needed them tonight. He looked like a man who had just come out of a boxing match...and lost.

_If only they could see what the other guy looked like. _

It was true, though it was the alpha male side of Bobby coming out. He _did_ do a number on the guy. Though Bobby didn't know it, the other guy had been driven straight to the hospital for several x-rays and a definite broken nose to say the least.

Bobby groaned when he took his belt off and didn't even bother to strip down to his boxers. He didn't dare try. He was too tired and too sore to attempt such a movement.

He sluggishly made his way into the kitchen to retrieve all the icepacks he could find and then walked back into his bedroom. He went into his medicine cabinet and pulled out a few packages of gauze to cover his knife wound. He groaned when he looked up into the mirror. His face looked like hell. He looked like he had been a punching bag for Hulk Hogan. He figured if any of his injuries needed to be professionally dealt with, it could be done tomorrow. He couldn't muster up the strength to drive anywhere tonight. He was too exhausted.

_I can hardly keep my eyes open. I just hope I can sleep. I hope I can stop thinking about Alex…_

Bobby hardly bothered to clean up his face. He dabbed the numerous cuts a few times with a cloth to clean up some of the excess blood. What he did managed to clean up, he did a half ass job of. Bobby looked like a walking zombie as he walked out of his bathroom and went directly to his bed. He pulled back the covers and then hissed as he plopped down onto it. He sprawled out, covering the ice packs over his now forming bruises, wrapped them lightly with an Ace bandage, pulled the comforter he was half under, half lying on over him and quickly passed out not thirty minutes later from sheer exhaustion.

Alex got home safe and sound, though she found herself looking out of her rearview mirror several times to see if she was followed. She felt paranoid and hated herself for feeling that way. She couldn't help but feel like he had somehow managed to escape if only to hunt her down. She was always cautious at night ever since her kidnapping. Alex declined the escort home and knew that Bobby would be furious if he ever found out, but she didn't care. She was curious what Bobby had whispered to him but whatever it was, she figured that she wouldn't be seeing anymore of him. She hoped anyway. Bobby had helped her and took care of her and for that, she was grateful. There was a better name for it, but she wasn't sure what it was.

_A great partnership? _

She sighed and then whispered to herself, "My partner, Robert Goren."

Alex knew Bobby was protective of her, though he had never hit someone in her defense before, but that incident took on a whole new meaning of the word "partnership." She saw it in his eyes. He was enraged and she knew then that he'd do anything for her. It shocked her that he had seemed to come out of nowhere. He romped on the man, even though he seemed to have no problem hitting Bobby back. Alex was utterly shocked for the first minute or so. The punches that Bobby _did _seem to take, he acted as if his brain didn't even register them.

And then he got stabbed.

_Well, not quite stabbed… _

Alex wasn't really sure what to label it as. She didn't get a good enough look at it, no surprise there. He wouldn't let anyone else look at it either. It was a classic Bobby Goren trait; never letting anyone get too close to him. It didn't stop her from worrying about him though. She was just happy that he didn't tell her to "back off' this time.

_But did I tell him to back off? …Even if I didn't say those exact words? _And then she sighed. Everything was a mess.

_What's going to happen to him? This is only going to add to his anxiety. Did he drive himself to the hospital? _And after musing for a few more minutes, she knew he hadn't. _He won't take care of himself. He doesn't even seem to be concerned about himself. Does he care about himself? God, I hope he's ok. What if he never made it home? Should I call him? No, I can't. I…just…can't._

Alex collapsed onto her bed and started to cry. She felt lonely which is what got her into this mess in the first place.

_A blind date. A fucking blind date._ _What the hell was I thinking?_

She thought it had turned out to be alright. He was a nice guy. Their first date was rather nice, but now all she wanted was Bobby. And yet, she feared it was too late. She had backed away from him, even after he had helped her.

_Go to him, Alex. Not just for you but for him as well. Make sure he's alright. He took a beating for you and what do you do? You push him away. You know how he is…even if he needs medical help he won't seek it unless someone's there to push him._

After taking almost an hour to decide, Alex got off the bed, quickly changed, and then headed out the door to Bobby's apartment. On the drive over, she thought of the things she would say to him, but she knew that as soon as she saw him, her words would fail her.

_I hope he's ok…both physically and mentally. I don't know what I'd do if he wasn't…_

Alex knocked on the door a few times but there was no answer. She tried to call him, but it went straight to voicemail. She knew he was home because she saw his car parked out front and it concerned her that he wasn't answering. She kept telling herself what he was ok, that he was probably just sleeping, but inside she was a nervous wreck.

_I have to get in there. I have to see him, to know that he's alive…for his own safety._

She kept telling herself it was for him, that she needed to see him _for _him, but deep down inside, it was her that needed him. She yearned to see him, to thank him, to hug him, to hold him…and to be held.

_When had our partnership taken this road?_

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry it took me so long to update. School is still killing me; my classes are very hard this quarter. I cut this chapter short...actually, I took about 2,000 words out. Sorry. I have an exam tomorrow in my Research Methods (law and justice) class, which I've hardly studied for, so I need to get going on it. The next chapter will be longer though! Still more to come.**

**Hope it's ok so far...hopefully I'll be able to update sooner rather than later, but please just stick with me! Not sure if the next chapter will be the last or not...**

**-Snyder-**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Sadly enough, I don't own anything. This is written for pure enjoyment only and no profit to be gained!

**CHAPTER 4:**

Alex pulled out the spare key he had given her years back. She refused to leave without at least seeing him. Gradually she unlocked the door and total darkness was all that surrounded her. She slowly and carefully reached for the light switch and flicked it on. The room was still dimly lit since she'd opted to only turned on the hallway light, but it was still enough for her to see. Alex quietly looked around and noted that he wasn't passed out on his couch amongst other places including the floor, so she headed towards his bedroom.

Alex knew where his bedroom was. She had been in his apartment before, even in his bedroom momentarily to use the restroom, but other than that, it was off limits. He'd never told her that before, she just assumed the so called "restriction" with how private he always seemed to be.

_Especially when it came to his personal life._

The bedroom door was ajar, so Alex poked her head around it and looked it. The room was still dark but she could see Bobby's form sprawled out on the bed. He wasn't hard to miss. Her heart clinched for him.

_He was protecting me and I backed away from him? I pulled away from the man that I wanted to help me? _And then she began to argue with herself. _Yes, but he's the one that left! _

She silently walked over to the side of his bed, unsure of herself. She couldn't control her next thought: _Is he ok? Is he…alive?_

She looked down at him and unconsciously held her breath. He hadn't moved, not one slight shift in position.

_He's ok. He's just sleeping, right?_ And right as she went to reach for him, to check, she heard a faint sound come from him and her heart soared. _He's snoring. _She couldn't help but smile as a deep tremor of relief swept through her. _He's just asleep…_

Her smile soon faded though when she took in the sight of him; especially when her eyes scanned his lower body for the first time. The light that shined through the window and into his bedroom, provided by the moon, was all the light she needed. She knew right then and there that she had made the right decision to go to him. She let her eyes adjust to the darkness somewhat, but from what she could tell Bobby was still dressed in his dark blue jeans. He had some sort of wrap around his stomach area which she deduced was for his knife wound.

_I'm just glad he's ok. But...does that mean he took himself to the hospital?_

With a slight hesitation, Alex flicked the lamp on to get a better look and physically turned her head away for a few seconds. Her earlier suspicions were confirmed. Her whole body tightened up and she couldn't hold back the gasp that past her lips at the sight of him. Bruises had already started to form on his face and she resisted the urge to reach out and touch him. His lip was deeply cut in a few places and there were other deep gashes on his face, but none of that seemed to be bothering him at the moment. Tears started to fall once more and she blinked them away as she darted her eyes lower, in the vicinity of his stomach. When she saw the bruising that had already formed around his ribs and stomach area, she started to lightly tremble. She never realized how bad he'd been hit. She looked at the gauze that was wrapped around his stomach. She closed her eyes tightly for a second and then opened them back up to see that the gauze already had blood soaking through it on his left side near his stomach.

_He hadn't gone to the hospital._

"Jesus, Bobby…" Alex murmured. She looked down at his jeans and noted that they too had blood on them.

Alex swallowed hard and gathered up enough courage to sit down on the bed next to him. She was mesmerized by him, though she'd never admit it to anyone. She was amazed he hadn't woken up yet, but then she noticed his prescription bottle for Ambien as well as the pain medication and understood why. Softly, she reached to feel the icepacks and found them to already be room temperature. Slowly, she started to pull them out from underneath the Ace bandage, intending on putting them back in the freezer for him to use later, when he started to stir.

"Hmm..." He mumbled and a few seconds later his eyes started to flutter as he took in his surroundings.

"Shh, Bobby. Easy, it's me, Alex." She softly cooed but that didn't stop him from shooting straight into a sitting position.

It was like a light bulb had turned on in his head and all the memories came flooding back into him; as if the dam holding them back had ruptured.

"Alex?" He said in a haze. She could tell he was startled. "What's…ugh." He groaned in pain. _Fuck. _"What's wrong?" He panicked and blinked a few times to get used to the light. He began to try and get out of bed, but Alex stopped him.

"Easy, Bobby. Lay back down. Nothings wrong." She pressed on his chest gently, careful of his injuries. He complied with a groan and laid his head back on his pillow. He was too tired to argue.

She cautiously unwrapped the Ace bandages and set the other warm icepacks aside.

"Bobby, this doesn't look—"

"Don't—" He began but then realized he was using her own words against her. He swallowed hard and then tried again. "It's...nothing you haven't endured from the man."

"Not entirely true, Bobby." She paused and then softly whispered, "Thank you, Bobby."

That caught Bobby off guard. _She's thanking me? What for? _His eyes betrayed him though, she read him like a book.

_He thought I was going to yell at him. __He thought I was…angry with him?_

"Thank you for being there…in the garage…" She said barely audible. "I didn't get a chance to tell you…" She murmured. "I'm sorry. I…I just didn't know what to say to you right then."

Alex's eyes went back down towards his stomach and chest area. She couldn't recall ever seeing Bobby without a shirt on and before she knew it, she felt her left hand lightly trail over his now marred body. She needed to make sure he was alive and well. She needed to reassure herself that he was here next to her.

Bobby was shocked by her actions momentarily, but then closed his eyes and enjoyed the pleasure he was feeling of her touching him. It had been so long since any woman had touched him. He only opened his eyes again when he felt some sort of liquid fall onto his stomach. He knew what it was and his suspicions were confirmed when he opened his eyes.

Alex was hovered over him, crying.

"Eames?" He softly asked and sat up again. He growled in pain but ignored it.

"I'm sorry, Bobby. I'm so sorry. Just…thank you." She said and reached up towards his face.

"What are you apologizing for?" He asked, confused as to what she was talking about and why she was touching him so much. He wasn't going to complain though; he loved the feeling of her hands on him.

"For everything that happened tonight. I…he said some pretty horrible things to you…about you and I—"

"It's ok, Eames." He exclaimed. "I'm used to it." Bobby closed his eyes after saying that. Truth was, he wasn't used to it. He doesn't think he'll ever be _used _to it.

"No! Bobby…I…I didn't tell him any of that." And that was when Bobby opened his eyes back up and looked at her. She continued, knowing that she had his attention. "He used to work down at the DA's office. He's heard of you before…and when I told him that you were my partner…" She trailed off. Bobby nodded. "I'm sorry. I tried to defend you, but he just shrugged it off."

"It's ok." He whispered as Alex trailed her fingers over his jaw and marred face. "Why didn't you come to me?" He finally got out.

"I…" She trembled and tilted her head down. Bobby _wouldn't_ allow it though and gently placed his pointer finger under her chin and lifted her head to face him. "I was embarrassed." She finally stated and blinked the tears away.

"But why? You know you could've come to me, right? You can come to me anytime. Alex, _you_ have nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I know…" She sighed. "I know I can come to you…but—" She paused and took a deep breath.

"But what?" He tenderly asked.

"I was afraid if I told you what happened, that you'd…that you'd kill him." And she couldn't help but smile at the statement.

"I should have." He mumbled to himself, though Alex had heard him. "I _will_ kill him if I ever see him near you again." He said and started to stand up, only to be stopped by two small hands on his chest.

"Don't get up. Go back to sleep. I—I didn't mean to wake you, I just wanted…" She trailed off, though she knew what she wanted.

_Him. I just want him. I needed to see him. I had to check up on him to make sure he was ok. And I want to hold him in my arms, and have him hold me in return…_

"Wanted what?" He asked.

It was then that he looked deep into the depths of her eyes and searched for answers he'd never dared to seek before. Somewhere inside them, he saw it and understood. He understood the need she held because he too had that same need. He tentatively reached for her, unsure if he was going too far until he saw Alex reach towards him. Slowly they were pulled into one another. Though both of them were sore, neither one of them pulled away. They couldn't and wouldn't dare. Instead, both savored the moment. Alex wrapped her arms around his bare back and Bobby wrapped his lengthy arms around hers.

_We're hugging. We're finally hugging. So this is what it takes to get him to hug me?_

She sighed against his shoulder. "Can I stay here with you tonight?" She finally managed to ask through the tears. She knew if she were gazing into his eyes, she wouldn't be able to ask him.

For a moment, Bobby thought he'd imaged it.

_I'm holding Alex Eames, and she wants to stay with me. _

He took a deep breath. "You know you can. Always." He mumbled into her hair.

They held each other for a few more minutes. It felt so wrong, yet so right at the same time. Neither one could comprehend it. They knew that neither one of them would survive without the other. It was a mutual understand. The also knew that they never wanted to _try _to survive without the other. They gave each other their own strengths.

"Please, Alex, next time someone hurts you or…or threatens you…" He hesitated, his voice strained. "Can you come to me? Please?" He pleaded with her and began to choke up at the thought. She meant so much to him. He felt like her guardian. When she nodded her head in understanding, he only held onto her tighter, though he was still cautious of her bruising as well as his injuries.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Alex finally pulled back.

"Bobby?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?" She sounded bashful now.

"Always." He murmured as a faint smile appeared on his face.

"What did you whisper into his ear?"

Bobby chuckled softly and then his face turned unreadable for a few moments as he pondered the scene that happened before him just hours ago.

"I just told him that if he ever came near you again, that I'd kill him, cut him up into tiny pieces, and scatter his body parts so far throughout the world that even god couldn't find all of him with a fucking map." He paused and smiled as he recalled the one-way conversation. "Something like that anyway…"

"You threatened him?" She asked, though she wasn't surprised. She was more surprised that Bobby would risk his job just for her.

"Well…" He thought about it for a moment. "Y—Yeah." He started to stutter. "What did you expect?"

"Nothing less of you, Bobby."

_My protector._

She wanted to say "my hero," but it seemed too cliché. He may be her hero as well, but he _is _her protector. They both knew it. They both felt it. She always felt safe and secure around him and she was getting that same feeling tonight. She felt like she was burning alive inside with anxiety and fear after this weekend but Bobby was slowly helping her to put out the fire within.

She had felt so numb afterwards...as if she had lost something. She felt it was her fault. She understood the thoughts of millions of abused women out there now. She got it. She finally got it.

"Don't…" Bobby said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Don't what?"

He softened. "Don't blame yourself."

_Amazing. Truly amazing. He understands. He gets it._

She smiled at him and pulled him back into a hug. He willingly accepted it.

* * *

"We can sometimes love what we do not understand, but it is impossible completely to understand what we do not love."

-Unknown

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! So how is this? Another chapter to come. Please R&R to let me know how I'm doing... In the beginning I said this would be about 10,000 words, but it looks like I'm going to go over that a bit. Sorry. I'm planning on the next chapter to be pretty short, sweet, and to the point. I hope you'll like it. It should be the end, but I kind of want to do a sequel to this because I'm not entirely enthusiastic about how I have it written to end (of course look how many sequels I have to do already!). LOL**

**-Snyder-**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Sadly enough, I don't own anything. This is written for pure enjoyment only and no profit to be gained!

**Special Thanks To:** B R Cary, chlark4, cifan, da-doink-doink, Darin's-Sis, deliriousdancer, judeey, LadyBlueDevil86, LOCISVU, moonchild712, Muse of Fire, rindy713, romiross, Serienjunkie 91, Tracey Claybon and x8x Krazee Benson Fan x8x.

**CHAPTER 5:**

After Bobby and Alex finally pulled away from each other, Bobby started to get up off the bed when Alex softly tugged at his arm.

"I'll be right back." He whispered and stood up. He teetered for a brief moment, but then caught his balance and turned towards her. "I have to…to change my bandage again…" He murmured as he looked down at the blood soaking through the gauze and ace bandage. "And I…I didn't get a chance to clean up my cuts very well…"

"Sit back down, Bobby. I'll do it." She replied and stood up next to him. "Just rest, ok?" She exclaimed and watched as he heavily sighed. Bobby went back to the bed and carefully sat down. He was too tired to resist and didn't want to argue.

"Where's your first aid kit?" She asked as saw him struggle to lie down.

He gasped when his head finally hit the pillow and then weakly whispered, "In the…the bathroom under the sink."

Alex nodded and went to retrieve it. When she went into the bathroom she quickly noted his discarded t-shirt, button up shirt and tie on the floor. They were both coated in his blood and it made Alex close her eyes at the sight. For a moment she allowed herself to recall back to how it had happened. She felt herself shake at the recollection and then bent down, picked up the clothes and set them on the side of the bathtub. A few minute later she went back out to Bobby with the necessary supplies.

When she entered his bedroom, he was still lying down but with his eyes closed. He looked so tired; she could tell he was trying to hide his discomfort.

_He's probably in a lot of pain._

"Bobby?"

"Yeah?" He answered without opening his eyes.

She bit her lip. "I'm back."

He opened his eyes and looked at her but said nothing. Carefully Alex sat next to him on the bed and peeled away the bandages that he'd put on earlier in the night. Once removed, Alex couldn't hold back the quick intake of breath.

"It's fine." Bobby said almost immediately. "It looks worse than it is."

Alex only nodded and quickly cleaned it up as best as she could. She knew what he was doing; he was trying to reassure her. Alex was no fool though, she knew he hurt.

After bandaging up the knife wound as best as she could, Alex scooted up the bed a foot or so and softly reached for his face.

"Jesus, Bobby." She mumbled. "What were you thinking?" She asked.

Alex pulled another alcohol swab out of the medical kit and started to clean up his face. Bobby closed his eyes due to the touch and thought back to the event. He winced when the alcohol swab first touched his cuts but he soon got used to it. He was doing all he could not to show his discomfort; not just because of the pain, but because of the question she'd just asked him. He knew what he was thinking at the time, but he was deathly afraid to tell her.

When Bobby opened his eyes back up, he delicately grabbed her arm to halt her from any further movement. "I wanted to kill him, Eames." He finally spoke, looking directly into her eyes. "I didn't want him to touch you ever again. I was so angry." He admitted and then started to shake. "I…I'm sorry, Eames. I'm so sorry. I had no right…" And Bobby felt his eyes start to water. He let go off her arm and looked away.

"Bobby…" She set the alcohol swab down and lightly gripped his shoulders. "What are you apologizing for?"

"For…everything." His voice faded.

Alex knew that this was his way of apologizing for Tates. She would gladly accept it, though in her eyes, there was nothing to forgive. For now though she decided to leave that one alone.

"Bobby…" She cupped his face to get him to look her into the eyes. It worked. "You have nothing to feel bad about. If it wasn't for you, god only knows what would've happened." She paused and began to lightly rub small circles on his cheeks with her thumb. "I should be apologizing for what happened to you. I should've stopped it while I had the chance but…"

"No!" He practically leaped out of bed. "I didn't want you to. I wanted to…I wanted to hurt him." He whispered the last part.

"And I _wanted_ you to hurt him." She smiled and removed her hands. "I just didn't want to see _you _hurt in the process."

"It was worth it." He mumbled, though his body was telling him otherwise.

Bobby sat up in bed and turned so that his legs were dangling off the side of the bed. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and she looked at him questioningly. She saw how much energy it took out of him just for that small movement.

"I'm ok, Eames. Really." He said when he felt her gazing at him.

She snorted. "You don't look it."

"No?" He joked.

She weakly smiled at him, though she felt as if she wanted to cry. "You look like fucking hell, Goren."

"Gee, thanks, Eames, don't hold back." He deadpanned and rolled his eyes. "I feel like it, but I'm fine…just a…a little sore."

_A little sore my ass, Goren._

"How do you feel?" He asked, turning to the side as best as he could to face her. It occurred to him that he never asked how she felt. Here she was taking care of him and he hadn't even made sure she was ok.

"A lot better than you look." She softly answered. "I just have a few bruises…"

Bobby knew she was taking it hard. He knew she blamed herself for his injuries and that she wasn't letting on how sore she really was.

"I'm fine." He mumbled again not so convincingly. "Don't worry about me…"

"You don't look fine." She stated. "In the morning I'm driving you straight to the hospital to get you checked out…because I _do _worry about you. And don't tell me not to." She sternly told him as if she had read his mind,

He looked into her eyes and nodded. She was surprised he didn't fight her, about any of it.

_For him to give up that easily…he must feel a lot worse than he's letting on._

"Ok, Eames. But tomorrow...and only if I'm not feeling better."

She tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a weep.

"I don't think you're going to feel better tomorrow. And I think you're going to need some stitches…and not just on your side where he...." She froze. She didn't want to say the words.

"Stabbed me? Or attempted to…"

She nodded. "Yes." She whispered.

"Bastard."

"I'm sorry." She weakly projected.

Bobby reached up with both hands and caught hers in his.

"Alex, please stop apologizing. I don't regret anything I did. I just wish he never would've touched you. That's what made me so angry. I knew, I just fucking knew that he was the one to hurt you and it sickened me. It…it still does…" His voice faded but the look in his eyes showed the love he was feeling. He didn't try and hide it either.

"But you got hurt." She whispered, almost child-like. She couldn't seem to pry her eyes away from his.

"Nothing that time won't cure. I promise, I'll be fine."

She chose not to respond to that and he let her hands slip out of his. Alex started to clean up his face again as best as she could, but she knew it would need to be professionally done in the morning.

_Well, technically today since it's already a little past midnight._

Once she finished cleaning him up and put the supplies back in his bathroom, she came back into the room. Bobby was lying back down on the bed, eyes half opened. He was struggling to stay awake, she could tell. Alex wanted to say something, anything, but she wasn't sure what to say. So instead of saying anything, she just stood next to the bed at a loss for words, and stared at him. She couldn't help but allow her eyes to scan up and down his body .

Bobby opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Eames…I…If…" He stuttered. He was terribly afraid of what he was going to say next. "Would you like to…to sleep here…next to me?" He asked and then quickly added, "Normally I would just…I would let you have my bed and I would…take the…the couch but I don't think I'd be able to…to sleep on it right now…" He drifted off and chanced a glance her way. There was a smile on her face and it was then that he knew he'd chosen the right words to say.

Alex walked around to the other side of the bed and was about to sit down when she stopped. She bit her lip and looked at him.

"What?" He asked nervously.

"Just…did you want to change clothes…into something more comfortable…with less blood on them?" She asked and nodded towards his jeans.

He smiled. "I would love to but I'm afraid I can't right now. Too—"

"Sore." She finished for him. He nodded. "I can help you…if you want." She said shyly.

"Its fine, Eames." He stated and then added, "As long as you don't mind sharing a bed with someone who has a little blood on him." He smirked and then yawned.

"A little?" She asked and then sat down on the bed. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I'm too tired to move." He admitted.

"Ok…" She said and quickly took off a few layers of clothing. Once her shoes were off, she got under the covers and lied down.

She felt him look in her direction. She knew he was looking at her.

"Is this ok?" She asked nervously.

He turned to switch the lamp off and then whispered, "No."

Alex's eyes were closed when she asked him, but they shot wide open when she heard his words.

_I knew this would ruin everything. I shouldn't have made him feel guilty about sharing the bed. I made him do something he didn't want to do and now he's uncomfortable._

She was about to get up off the bed when she felt him shift in bed and lightly drape his left arm around her waist.

"_Now_ it's ok." He whispered and she felt her heart soar. She shivered and barely recognized his next words, "This _is_ ok, right?" He hesitantly asked.

_Please say yes. Don't reject me._

He didn't know what to expect from her, but the response he got was definitely not one of them. She started crying. Her sobs came louder than either one of them anticipated and she turned onto her left side and weakly reached for him. She grasped onto him when she saw him come towards her. He was on his right side facing her and immediately wrapped his arms around her as best as he could. He held onto her so tight that it hurt.

"Just let it out, Alex. It'll be ok, I promise." He soothingly said. "I won't let anything happen to you. You can trust me." His voice faded.

And those words, _you can trust me, _only made her cry harder. She was angry with herself.

_I can trust him. I know I can trust him. I also know he feels betrayed because I didn't come to him. I should have. Maybe all of this could've been prevented if I would've done to him in the first place…_

After her crying quieted, she pulled back and looked at him. Their eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, and she was surprised when she saw glistening tears in his eyes.

"Thank you, Bobby." She said and took a deep breath. "Just…thank you." She whispered once more and reached up to stoke the side of his face.

There was no need to respond to her. They both knew how they felt. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. Alex saw him lean forward and she too leaned in a bit to meet him half way. It was a small kiss, nothing too heavy but it meant more than words could express. When he pulled back, she could tell he was looking for some sort of rejection from her, but he never got it. Instead, she smiled and closed her eyes. He got the message and couldn't help but sigh in relief.

She re-opened her eyes to look at him and started to stroke his cheek again. It was him this time that closed his eyes. Alex only stopped stroking his cheek when his breathing evened out. He had fallen asleep already. She let her hand fall down to his chest and kept it there until she fell asleep. It ended up between then, gently resting on Bobby's right arm.

It was that night that something changed in their relationship. It was for the better, they both knew it. Bobby and Alex felt like they were finally connecting again after years of struggling. They felt loved, cared for, and the best part about it was they both existed. Everything else, all of their problems, insecurities, and guilt were forgotten if only for the one night. They knew they were going to be just fine as long as they had each other. They both felt like they were slowly coming back to life. It was the first time in a long time that both of them had felt so alive.

_The End._

* * *

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

-Albert Einstein

* * *

**A/N: Well, there it is. I hope you guys liked it. I thought about doing another chapter where they wake up, talk, go to the hospital, etc. I could do it, but I'm not sure. I have so many other stories already written down that I'm just dying to post something new. And, of course, about three nights ago I got another idea for a fic, so I've been working on that one non-stop. LOL**

**Anyway, let me know what you think. I'm not sure if I like ending or not. Is it ok? Please R&R either way. Thanks.**

**Until my next story,  
****-Snyder-**


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